No one injured in Miner Street fire

Friends of teenager feared he was inside.

Friends of teenager feared he was inside.

August 07, 2008|By ERIN BLASKO Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Sitting on the steps of a church across the street from his burning home, several of Larry Harvell III's friends wondered Wednesday if the 14-year-old was still inside. As opaque brown smoke rolled from the home's windows and out its front door, advancing east down the 1100 block of Miner Street past jacketed firefighters, the group of boys expressed concern that the teen, who they hadn't heard from since Tuesday, might still be in his upstairs bedroom. "Every day he usually calls us, and we haven't heard from him yet," one boy said as another hopped on a bike to search the neighborhood for Harvell. Fortunately, none of the home's five residents were inside when the fire broke out about 3:30 p.m. Harvell III and another man living there were at Harvell's grandmother's home on Ewing Street, and Harvell III's father, Larry Harvell Jr., and his brother and another man were all working. Also fortunate was the fact that when the fire was reported, three South Bend fire companies were only a few blocks away, participating in a training exercise on Eddy Street. "We were practicing cutting holes and advancing line," said Battalion Chief Nick Teckler. "Everybody was here and the guys were all dressed." Teckler said the three companies were able to respond to the fire in a matter of minutes, most likely preventing it from burning through the home's roof. Still, the two-story home, which already had smoke pouring from the eaves when firefighters arrived, sustained significant smoke damage throughout, Teckler said. Sheila Harvell, Harvell Jr.'s mother, rushed to the home after her daughter called and told her it was on fire. She said her son, a truck driver, was on the road and trying to make his way home. "He's just glad no one was in the house," she said from out front of the smoldering structure as firefighters brushed past. "His biggest concern was that someone might be in the home." Although the cause and origin of the fire are still unknown, 15-year-old Charles Gilliam, Harvell Jr.'s nephew, said he saw smoke coming from an upstairs window air conditioner as he was walking from the church, where he was buying candy, to his home across from Perley Primary Center on Eddy Street. "... I noticed black smoke and I knew the house was on fire," Charles said. "It was really, really dark smoke, like black-black, and that's when I called 911 and said, 'My cousin's house is on fire.' " Seven units responded to the fire, with assistance from South Bend police and EMS.